Spoiler warning! Stargazer is book 2 in the Evernight series. If you haven't read Evernight the avert your eyes now! Or you can check out my review of Evernight right here. You've been warned!
Stargazer by Claudia Gray
Published: 29 April 2010 (Harper Collins Children's Books)
Pages: 256
Source: Borrowed from library.
Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)
The vampire in me was closer to the surface...
Evernight Academy: an exclusive boarding school for the most beautiful, dangerous students of all—vampires. Bianca, born to two vampires, has always been told her destiny is to become one of them.
But Bianca fell in love with Lucas—a vampire hunter sworn to destroy her kind. They were torn apart when his true identity was revealed, forcing him to flee the school.
Although they may be separated, Bianca and Lucas will not give each other up. She will risk anything for the chance to see him again, even if it means coming face-to-face with the vampire hunters of Black Cross—or deceiving the powerful vampires of Evernight. Bianca's secrets will force her to live a life of lies.
Yet Bianca isn't the only one keeping secrets. When Evernight is attacked by an evil force that seems to target her, she discovers the truth she thought she knew is only the beginning....
My Review:
I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Evernight, the first book in this series, but the parts of it I really liked were enough to make me want to check out the rest of the books. Stargazer is the second book in the series and follows Bianca as she comes to terms with her looming transformation into a vampire, tries to carry on her relationship with Lucas and attempts to discover more about Evernight Academy.
I really loved the character of Bianca in Evernight and I felt exactly the same way in Stargazer. I love her little quirks and her vulnerability. Mostly, though, I loved the development of other characters in this book. We get to see a lot more of Balthazar who I adore! And I really enjoyed getting more of his back story. There's also more glimpses into Raquel's past which I loved reading about.
One of the most exciting things about the book was learning more about the world in which is takes place. We know about the vampires but there are even more creepy things going on in the school this year which kept the story feeling fresh. I do really love the spooky nature of the school in this series and how there's always something to be discovered. There's lots of suspense in this book.
The romantic storylines kept me pretty hooked. I love the Lucas-Bianca-Balthazar-almost-love-triangle. It provided plenty of drama without being too cheesy. I definitely have a preference for one of these boys (*cough* Balthazar *cough*). There's some really exciting action sequences as well which kept the pace up. The writing is beautiful, too. There's plenty of attention to detail from Bianca's love of astronomy to the fencing lessons. I loved how Gray referenced Shakespeare. There were literary references in Evernight, too, and I always think it adds a little bit extra to the book! And there's some really beautiful description.
My only flaw is that sometimes a few of the plot points felt a little convenient for me. Just as the characters were getting into trouble an idea or solution would come to them a bit too easily.
Overall though I felt it was a huge improvement on the first book. Definitely a series I'm going to stick with!
Rating: 4*
What to read next: Hourglass by Claudia Gray, the third book in the Evernight series.
Books like this: Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson.
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